Portable knockdown beach shelter



Aug. 26, 1958 M. J. M CANN 2,848,756

PORTABLE KNOCKDOWN BEACH SHELTER Filed Feb. 24, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Mary Jane Ma Calm mvm'mze.

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6, 1958 M. J. MOCANN 2,848,756

PORTABLE KNOCKDOWN BEACH SHELTER Filed Feb. 24, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.9

Mary Jane McCa'nn INVENTOR.

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United States Patent @fiee 2 ,848,756 Patented Aug. 26, 1958 PORTABLE KNOCKDOWN BEACH SHELTER Mary Jane McCann, Canoga Park, Calif.

Application February 24, 1956, Serial No. 567,506

3 Claims. (Cl. 20-2) The present invention relates to a portable temporarily usable out-of-doors shelter which is primarily, although not necessarily, fabricated and designed for recreational use, particularly on a sandy seashore or beach, where, when in use, it serves users thereof to protect themselves against sunburn, chilly and undesirable breezes and blowing sand.

As the preceding general statement of the nature of the inventon implies, similarly constructed and performing devised. That is to say, it is characterized by a rearwardly and downwardly inclined canopy which afiords needed roominess and head room so that it may be entered without undue hindrance.

The elevated entrance end of the canopy is suspended by a framework which may be quickly erected and subsequently dismantled for handling and transportation, guy ropes or the like, being utilized to promote stability and to withstand the effects of other than abnormal winds.

Equally important is the provision of a wall structure at the lower rear end of the canopy and this is novel in that it provides a satisfactory and reliable windbreak and is unique in that glass panels or windows are provided so that the occupants sitting close thereto may keep track of the young ones cavorting and otherwise playing at the waters edge in view.

A significant object of the invention pertains to the construction of the lower end portions of the hingedly connected, folding window frames. That is to say, the lower portions are horizontally slotted to provide a construction which facilitates burying and embedding in a sand trench and which collectively allow the sand to pass through and load the slots and to thus effectually anchor the frames with requisite assurance against accidental displacement, whereby said wall stands firm and erect and does not require buttresses or troublesome stays and braces.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying sheet of drawings.

In the drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved portable knockdown beach shelter constructed in accordance with the invention and showing the same erected and ready for use;

Figure 2 is a rear end elevation with the canopy broken away;

Figure 3 is a top plan view with portions of the canopy broken away;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view foreshortened and taken on the vertical line 4-4 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a top edge or plan of the aforementioned folding or collapsible wall also referred to as a windbreak showing the same extended and partly folded;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view on an enlarged scale illustrating certain of the structural details;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the carrying case;

Figure 8 is a section on the line 88 of Figure 7; and

Figure 9 is a view in section and elevation showing how the carrying case may be converted and used as a handy table or stand.

The canopy is denoted by the numeral 10 and it is of appropriate size, shape and preferably of light weight awning material. it embodies an elongate or rectangular central portion 12 and forwardly tapering or gradually narrowing longitudinal flaps 14. At the forward end it is provided with a suitable open-ended hem 16. At the opposite end it is provided with snap-fasteners 18 which will be subsequently referred to. It is preferred that the entrance or front end be higher than the rear end and this is generally some fixed feet in height. To accomplish this an inverted sectional U-shaped frame is provided and this is denoted as an entity by the numeral 20. It is made up of duplicate vertical poles and the poles are constructed of wood, or the like, and each includes a lower section or round 22 having a pointed lower end 24 to be embedded in the sand. The upper companion section is denoted at 26 and this has a reduced extension or dowel (Fig. 6) on its upper end which fits removably into a keeper hole 3t provided therefor in one of the components 32 of a complemental crosspiece 34. This crosspiece is hinged at the center as shown at 36 in Fig. 3, to facilitate folding. The adjacent ends of the sections 22 and 26 may be telescopically connected together by a mortise and tenon joint, for instance, a dowel 38 and socket 4%. Connected by screw eyes or the like, to the crosspiece are guy ropes or wires 42 and these are connected at their lower ends to a sand anchor 44 which, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, is also made up of sections 46 hinged together at .3.

The shorter horizontally elongate Wall may be described as a wall oralternatively as a shield and perhaps broadly as a Windbreak. In any event, this is portable and foldable and is made up of four, more or less, window frames. These are all substantially the same and they are conveniently denoted by the numerals 50. Beach includes a glass panel or window 52. The frames are hingedly connected together in proper progressive order, as at 54, so that they may be folded somewhat in the manner shown in Fig. 5 for compactness and convenience in handling, carrying and transportation. As before stated, the lower end of each window frame is formed into a sort of ancillary frame by an elongated slot 56. This permits one to form a trench in the sand S as shown in Fig. 4. In so doing and by embedding the slotted lower portions in the sand the sand passes through the slots and loads the sand therein as at A. Consequently, when the frames are properly pressed down and anchored they stay put. The upper portion is provided with snap-fasteners 19 with which the aforementioned snap-fasteners 18 connect in the manner shown in Fig. 4.

The carrying case 58 is of a size and capacity to permit all of the collapsed and transportable parts to be stored and carried therein in the manner somewhat satisfactorily illustrated in Fig. 8. The open-ended portion of the case is provided with appropriately constructed and arranged handles or hand grips 6t).

Not only does the case afford storage, carrying and transportation, it is susceptible of use if necessary or desired as a stand or table, as shown in Fig. 9. To this end the so-called top wall 61 is provided at it corner portions with relatively small keeper holes. 62 and the pnderlying bottom Wall 64 is provided with aligned larger holes 66. The legs here are rounds 68 having pointed lower ends 70 to be anchored in an obvious manner. The intermediate upper portion passes upwardly through the hole 66 at the left in Fig. 9 and the upper end is provided with a reduced portion or dowel 72 and a shoulder 74. The dowel passes through the keeper hole 66 and the shoulder engages the underside of the top wall 61. By' thus arranging these attachable and detachable legs and anchoring the same, and using the box-like case in the manner shown it provides a handy out-of-doors table either for use at the beach or elsewhere. It may be stated in this connection that the concept is such that the aforementioned lower sections 22 or the poles may be constructed to serve as the legs 68 by appropriately reversing the parts. That isto say, the sockets 40 may be in the lower end of the section 26 and then the dowel 38 would be at the upper end of 22 serving as the same dowel 72, shown in Fig. 9.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to lirnit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A portable knockdown beach shelter comprising, in combination, a flexible canopy, vertical poles elevating and supporting one end portion of said canopy, and a prefabricated vertical portable wall elevating and supporting the other end portion of said canopy, said wall being foldable and portable, constituting a wind and sand shield and being characterized by a plurality of window-frames operatively connected so that they may be angularly adjusted in keeping with ever-changing wind direction requirements, the lower portions of said window frames being constructed so that they may be embedded and adequately anchored in the sand, whereby to require neither props nor ancillary hold-down devices.

2. A portable knockdown beach shelter comprising, in combination, a flexible canopy, vertical poles elevating and supporting one end portion of said canopy, and a prefabricated vertical wall elevating and supporting the other end portion of said canopy, said wall being foldable and portable, constituting a wind and sand shield and being characterized by a pluralityof window-frames operatively connected so that they may be angularly adjusted in keeping with ever-changing wind direction requirements, the lower portion of the respective window frames having slots therein which facilitate burying and embedding in a sand trench and which allow the sand to pass through and load the slots and to thus eflectually, anchor theframes with requisite assurance against accidental displacement, whereby said wall stands 'and stays erect and does not require buttresses, stays or the like.

3. A portable knockdown shelter for use on a sandy beach or similar recreational ground comprising, in combination, an elongated horizontally disposable canopy of rollable awning material having a hem across one transverse end, an inverted U-shaped frame embodying a crosspiece fitted removably in said hem, a pair of canopy erecting and supporting poles having their lower ends adapted to be embedded and anchored in the sand and having their upper ends detachably connected with the respective end portions of said crosspiece, a portable folding wall constituting a windbreak and adapted to be supported vertically, and snap-fasteners connecting the adjacent end portion of said canopy to cooperating upper portions of said wall, said poles being of sectional knockdown form designed for compact and convenient handling, storage and transportation and provided with stabilizing guy ropes, said wall comprising a plurality of folding window frames having cooperating vertical edge portions hingedly connected together, the lower portion of each window frame having a slot therein which'facilitates burying and embedding the entire slotted portion of the frame in a sand trench so as to allow the sand to pass through and load the slot and to thus effectually anchor the frame in the sand with requisite assurance avoiding accidental displacement and whereby the frames of said wall stand and stay erect and do not require buttresses, stays or the like.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 459,764 Orr Sept. 22, 1891 1,329,080 Gunchick Jan. 27, 1920 1,361,953 Zapert Dec. 14, 1920 2,208,458 Julian July 16, 1940 2,619,101 McGerry Novl 25, 1952 2,660,186 Marshall at al Nov. 24, 1953 2,712,677 Hyde July 12, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 698,186 Germany Nov. 4, 1940 

